Jared Sullinger’s playing career always circled back to Columbus. This week, the Northland High product made that official. The former Ohio State Buckeyes All-American announced his retirement from professional basketball at 34 and accepted a job as director of player development on Jake Diebler’s staff.
“After a lifetime of giving everything I have to this game, it’s time for me to officially step away from playing basketball,” Sullinger wrote in an X post. “I’m hanging up the jersey, but I’m not walking away from the game. I’m just changing seats. Forever a Buckeye.”
For Buckeye fans who remember Value City Arena packed for those 2010–12 teams, the news lands as both an ending and a homecoming.
In two seasons under Thad Matta, Sullinger averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds, earned consensus first-team All-America honors twice, and helped Ohio State go 65–11 with two Big Ten titles, a conference tournament championship, a Sweet 16, and a Final Four.
He is one of only three players in program history to be a first-team All-American more than once.
The Boston Celtics took him 21st in the 2012 draft. He played 269 NBA games, mostly in green, averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds before a long overseas run that included China, South Korea, and Puerto Rico. He won CBA International MVP in 2024 and two rebounding titles.
He also stayed tied to the scarlet and gray through Carmen’s Crew, playing and later coaching Ohio State’s alumni team in The Basketball Tournament, including the 2019 title.
Diebler called the hire a natural fit.
“Jared’s love for Ohio State and his passion for helping young players grow make him a tremendous addition,” the coach said, via Bucknuts. “Our players will benefit from his leadership.”
Sullinger framed it the same way: Columbus is home, and the culture that shaped him is the one he wants to pass on. Family factored in, too. He and his wife, DeAnn, have three young children. After years abroad, the timing to come back lined up with an opening on staff.
Buckeye Nation never really let Sullinger leave. He was the local kid who delivered a Final Four, then kept representing the block O on summer courts and in alumni runs.
Now he will work the practice gym instead of the post. The jersey is off. The seat has changed. The allegiance has not.
